


Knocked Out

by redchemist



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, Presston - Freeform, USWNT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-09-20 05:02:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9476798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redchemist/pseuds/redchemist
Summary: The last thing Julie can remember is going up for a header during the second half of their home game against Portland.  The Red Stars were battling hard and needed a goal to start their comeback.  In the current moment, she was trying to figure out why Danny was holding her to the ground.  The defender could see that Danny was speaking, but she couldn’t figure out what she was saying.





	

The last thing Julie can remember is going up for a header during the second half of their home game against Portland. The Red Stars were battling hard and needed a goal to start their comeback. In the current moment, she was trying to figure out why Danny was holding her to the ground. The defender could see that Danny was speaking, but she couldn’t figure out what she was saying.  
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All Christen could do was watch as the scene in front of her unfolded like a terrible car wreck. The forward was holding up on the edge of the 18-yard box, prepared to pounce on any loose balls. She saw Julie rise to meet Vanessa’s curving corner. A split second later Allie Long jumped in attempt to block the blonde and clear the ball. Christen stared, horrified as the two blondes knocked heads with a loud crack and crumpled to the ground. A high pitched, screeching shriek had torn from her chest as her brain attempted to process what she just witnessed. 

In the time it took for the forward’s brain to process what happened and yell at her feet to move, midfielder Danielle Colaprico was the first one to reach Julie. Allie is rolling around on the ground, cursing quietly as she holds her head. The Chicago defender isn’t moving. The brunette dropped to her knees and put a hand on Julie’s chest to ensure she is in fact breathing. Forward Sofia Huerta, seeing Danny’s actions, yelled for the medic as Sinclair helped her teammate up and off to the side. The last of the Red Star’s three amigas, Arin Gilliland organized the team into a protective circle around their down player and the center referee. Christen crashed through everyone to reach her girlfriend’s side. She cupped the blonde’s face gently whilst doing her best to hold back tears.

“Please JJ wake up for me. Let me see those gorgeous blue eyes again. Please baby I need you. Look at me.” Christen’s voice grew more desperate with each word she spoke to Julie. Her heart raced every second that her eyes remained shut. Alyssa Naeher stepped into the circle and drew Christen’s attention away by taking the forward’s free hand and placing it on her chest.

“Come on Chris mimic my breaths Jules is going to need you calm when she wakes up. She will need her Christen.” Alyssa knew she couldn’t tear her friend away but that Christen needed to stay calm if she wanted others to let her stay with Julie.  
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During the time that Christen is returning her breathing to semi-normal levels by matching Alyssa’s breaths, those big blue eyes open and land on Danny. Julie for the life of her cannot figure out why Danny is fuming. A warm hand cups her face and her eyes dart to meet the warm, brown, tear filled eyes of her Christen. The blonde starts to panic when she still cannot hear what her girlfriend is telling her coupled with the fear covering Christen’s face. Before she can attempt to sit up and reassure the forward that everything will be alright, the medics have finally made it onto the field and start loading her onto a backboard. They shine bright lights into her eyes as she struggles to keep they open. Good lord her head is pounding, she thinks. Her eyes give her only glimpses of Christen ripping off the captain’s band and giving it to…. who is that…. if only she could get a closer look.

The forward doesn’t stop while the paramedics wheel Julie down the tunnel to their ambulance. She rips off the captain’s band and tosses it at Vanessa. Coach Rory, she thinks is yelling at her just to go, that the team will be right behind them, but she honestly isn’t sure and quite frankly Christen doesn’t give a damn. Sprinting down the empty tunnel, Christen catches up to her paramedics as they are loading her girlfriend into the ambulance. When she is secure, one of the men extends his hand to pull Christen inside. As soon as she is seated, she takes the limp hand of her girlfriend and refuses to let go as they stabilize her and start some fluids. Christen keeps her head bowed, quietly praying to any higher power who will listen. 

Upon their arrival at the nearest North Shore, a nurse tears the older woman away. Christen struggles against the strong arms, needing to get back to her girlfriend. She must be there when Julie wakes up. A second nurse approaches, dodges Christen’s flailing arms, and gently grabs her face. “Ma’am, I know you want to be with her. But right now, the doctors need to be able to treat her. They cannot do that with you there.

“No! I need to be with her! I can’t lose her!” The forward half sobs, the bare threads holding her together snapping one by one the longer she is away from Julie.

“I know ma’am. And as soon as it is ok with the doctor I personally will take you to her. I promise.” The sincerity and honesty in her voice reminds Christen of Julie, penetrating through the fog into her addled mind. The woman sag’s in the nurse’s arms while nodding her head weakly.

“Ok” she whispers “Ok…can I wait somewhere? Away from people?”

“Of course.” Waving off the first nurse, the older woman who calmed Christen gives a kind smile. Christen notes that her name is Karen before following her through the busy emergency department to one of the private family waiting rooms. Karen presses Christen into a chair, handing her a clipboard. The forward automatically fills out the medical forms with her mind still half praying for Julie’s swift awakening.  
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Alyssa walks in quietly, the first member of the Red Stars to arrive. As soon as the whistle blew she was sprinting off the field. Leaving the multitude of questions and fans to her teammates. The goalkeeper rushed to pack not only her bag but that of her two teammates. All three bags were tossed in her trunk. Her mind was focused on getting to the hospital as quickly as she could to support her friend. When she arrived, a kind woman named Karen spotted the Red Stars crest on her silver jersey and lead her to the room where Christen is awaiting news.

The forward is curled into a chair, dwarfed almost by the emptiness of the surrounding space. Alyssa, not wanting to spook the poor woman, clears her throat as she closes the door. A pair of devastated green eyes snap up to meet hers, quickly filling again with tears. The goalkeeper crosses the room in two large strides and gathers Christen in her arms.

“Oh Chris…Jules is tough. Don’t you worry she will be up and bouncing around in no time.” Alyssa’s soft words of encouragement cause the last thread on Christen’s fear to break. Tears stream down her face as silent sobs tear from her chest with her hands gripping onto Alyssa’s jersey for dear life. She felt quite like she would drown if she didn’t Alyssa to anchor her. Her mind cannot begin to fathom any form of future without her ray of blonde sunshine in it. Christen is lost in the buffeting torrent of her emotions and oblivious to anything but her own pain. She doesn’t notice as other team members slowly trickle in.  
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Karen returns to the room and is unable to stop the smile gracing her face at the support Christen has. Her teammates are mostly curled into chairs, obviously exhausted but unwilling to let their captain and friend face this alone. The group of older adults, she guesses the coaches, are sitting in a circle near the door talking in hushed tones. The forward is currently curled in-between the keeper and a midfielder she thinks is called Vanessa. “Christen? The doctor wants to speak with you.” The dozing woman immediately jumps up and furiously wipes the sleep from her eyes. She strides across the room to Karen. 

“Can they come here? Her parents are on a plane from Arizona and I…” Before the woman can finish Karen places a warm hand on her shoulder. “Yes, he can Christen. I’ll be right back with him.” Once she has gone Alyssa and Vanessa rouse the squad, Christen pacing in front of the door. Karen does her best to prep the doctor for the large group of people he is going to encounter, yet he still hesitates for a moment when he walks into the room and is facing over 20 concerned people. “Ms. Press?”

“Christen. Please, how is she?” His attention is drawn to the small, obviously exhausted woman in the front center of the group. The tremor in her voice betrays how important his patient is to her. The two women on either side of her slip an arm around her to keep her steady.

“Christen my name is Dr. Ortega. Ms. Johnston suffered a severe concussion from the dual impact hit she took. We ran an MRI and while we did see a possible contusion there is no bleeding in her brain. This is very good. She may suffer some memory loss, have trouble concentrating, some nausea and vomiting, ringing in her ears, among other things. The good news is most of those will get better with time and the right treatment. Overall, I truly believe that Ms. Johnston will be just fine.”

Upon hearing the last phrase Christen again bursts into tears of pure joy. Her arms wrap around the doctor who happily returns the embrace. Karen looks around to find both the players and coaches shedding tears of the their own. The young woman will have a long road to recovery, but with this many people behind her Karen knows she will be well taken care of along with Christen. Their abundant relief and joy makes it clear that the Red Stars are more than a team; they are a family. The forward separates from the doctor and wipes her tears on her jersey. “When can we see her? Please I just need to see that she is ok with my own eyes.”

“Well… two of you can go see her now. We have her sedated and will keep her that way through the night so her body can start the healing process.”

“That’s ok… “She turns to the team, eyes searching for one individual. When she spots the teammate, the forward extends her hand. “Come with me. Sam, she would want to see you – you’re her best friend.” The darker woman is surprised. The two center backs had grown close over the previous season but she expected Christen to want Alyssa with her for support. Nevertheless, she is grateful. Sam separates herself from fellow defender Casey Short and steps forward. A tug from Christen has the two of them following Dr. Ortega. He leads them to the private room Julie has been assigned to. Inside the blonde defender is hooked up to an IV and heart monitor, the machines beeping rhythmically. Her eyes are closed and her face is peaceful. Sam would swear Jules was dreaming the way her eyeballs seemed to move under her eyelids.

Christen approaches the side of the bed. She gently brushes a few stray hairs from her girlfriend’s face and tucks them behind her ear. The forward lowers her lips to bestow a delicate kiss on Julie’s forehead before whispering “I’m right here Julie. I will be by your side through everything, I swear. You rest up and open those beautiful blue eyes for me when you are ready.” Taking the chair Sam pushes over, Christen sinks into it then takes Julie’s hand into her own. Once she is settled Sam sits on the other side of Julie. The other center back is nervous. She is unused to seeing the vibrant defender in this…still. Unsure of what else to do, Sam starts talking to her friend.

“So, Jules after you and Christen left, Katie and Jen came on. Sofia dropped back into Christen’s roaming role. And the whole team played for you JJ. Every touch, run, and pass had a new fire to it. You wouldn’t believe it. Arin finally freakin’ scored to bring us within one. You will be sad you missed it, it was a beauty. She will definitely show it to you on the replay. She went up for a corner and won a header, slamming the ball in the back of the net past Beto’s outstretched hands. She nearly knocked Danny over when she jumped on her. We all told her on our way here that she was challenging enough to other teams – now she will be unstoppable."

"But anyway, we kept playing, and with like 15 minutes left. Alyssa had made a save and punted the ball up the field to Vanessa. She settled the ball and you know how Nessa loves her distance shots so she took one. It sailed over Betos, nailed the crossbar, and went in. The crowd went freakin’ nuts when she did your fist pump celebration. The last 10 minutes were chaos. Portland kept pushing for the win because you know they need the points. They threw everyone forward and Alyssa truly did save our asses. She was a literal brick wall."

"In damn extra time Danny feeds a ball through to Jen who was sitting at midfield because Portland was playing with a high back line. Jen took off like a rocket, beating Sonnett 1v1 like 30 yards out. All that is left is Betos and none of the other players will be able to catch them. So Betos charges off her line but Jen chips her. And we won JJ. We won the damn game for you.” 

When Sam finishes there are tears leaking out of Christen’s tired eyes. The Red Stars are truly their family. Their actions within these past few hours have been incredible. The forward could not be more grateful for them. Across the bed Christen sends Sam a warm smile, rubbing the tears away on her elbow. Sam grins in return. The two women refuse to part from Julie’s side for more than a few moments the entire night. Sam has Karen send the team home to rest, promising to call when anything changes. So, the two women sleep, Sam curled in the chair as best she can and Christen had laid her head down on Julie’s bed. She was still clutching her hand between her own. Neither was in a comfortable position but they couldn’t be moved for the world.  
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Christen is woken to a hand woven in her hair and gently scratching at her scalp. Green eyes snap open quickly and blink away sleep to meet an absolutely gorgeous pair of baby blue eyes. They are a little unfocused, but they are wide open. Her Julie is awake!

“Hey Chris.” The defender’s voice is scratchy from disuse and filled with confusion.

“Hey Jules…how are you feeling?” Christen sits up and takes Julie hand in her own. She brings it to her lips and places a kiss on it. She is rewarded with the smallest smile from the younger woman before she answers. “My head hurts and I can’t really focus on your face…did ugh something happen at the game?” Julie’s free hand reaches up and massages her forehead as she winces.

Christen moves one of her hands up to gently stroke her girlfriend’s cheek. “You…knocked heads pretty hard with Allie during the game. She was ok, just took a rough knock but you were out cold. So, they brought you here. But I talked to the doctor and he said you will be ok. I promise.” The blonde’s eyes fill with tears as she leans into her lover’s hand. She is wracking her brain, desperately trying to remember anything past the opening whistle and growing angry with herself when she can’t. Christen can both see and feel her distress, so she climbs into the bed and wraps around Julie. Julie struggles at first and fights weakly against Christen but she can’t escape. She surrenders and buries her face in her girlfriend’s shirt. It is dampened with silent tears as she inhales the scent of grass, California sun, and vanilla (mingled with some dried sweat) that is pure Christen.

A whimper from Julie wakes up Sam from her light slumber. Upon seeing the blonde buried in Christen’s chest, Sam detangles herself from the chair and eases onto the empty side of the bed. The darker woman rubs small circles on Julie’s back to help calm her. “Hey JJ girl its ok, we won the game for you and rushed straight here. We wouldn’t let you and Chris go through this alone. Your family has your back.” The three of them don’t move for some time. Julie taking solace in their presence.  
The door to the room creaks open sometime later, drawing the attention of the three women. In walks Dr. Ortega, accompanied by her worried parents. Christen had texted them an update once Julie had calmed down, but they needed to see that their baby girl was alright with their own eyes. Though exhausted from the late flight, Kristi and David rush to their youngest. Sam quickly vacates her spot to let the two of them get close to the couple. Kristi immediately wraps around Julie who leaves Christen for the comfort only a momma can provide. While Kristi speaks softly in Julie’s ear, David goes around the bed to Christen and hugs her, knowing that the woman is beyond exhausted. The forward relaxes in David’s hug and takes a moment of rest.

The parents switch places then everyone settles down to let the doctor examine Julie and update her parents and her on her condition. The blonde grows upset and angry when he tells her that she has a concussion as well as a contusion and will be out for some time. Nothing her parents nor Christen say will calm her down. “Sorry doc but you must be freakin’ mistaken. My brain will be fine and I don’t need your fancy test or medicine. I just need to sleep and get the heck out of this dang place!” Her voice grows loud as she repeatedly yells at the doctor and tells him he is wrong, what does he know anyway. Dr. Ortega doesn’t fight back, guessing this isn’t normally how Julie behaves by the shocked look on the four other faces in the room.

“Ms. Johnston, you took a hard hit. I understand that this is confusing and a little scary right now. But you are in excellent hands. I’m going to step out to check on my other patients and will be back later if you have any questions. The call button is right there on your remote should you need anything.” He excuses himself to give her time to deal with the information and calm down. Tears are streaming down her face as she looks at the unfocused faces of the four people still in the room. Christen hugs her tight as does Kristi to do their best to calm her. She cries in their arms until she is exhausted and falls asleep, curled into her mom with a death grip on Christen’s shirt with her far hand. Sam excuses herself to update the team and grab a shower. David takes the chair Christen vacated and kept a close eye on his three women. He knows that his bubbly, sweet Julie is still in there somewhere. And he knows that it if anyone can help bring her back, Christen is the one to do it.

**Author's Note:**

> So...I haven't posted in a while and I am sorry. Life has kicked me and my family in the face and we are trying to bounce back. Lots of us were in the hospital (and I get to have a second surgery, lucky me). I am TA'ing three new labs as well as trying to write my big research paper for my annual progress review.  
>  I plan on continuing Date Night at some point, but am struggling on how I want the second chapter to go. So I wrote this one shot to get the juices flowing again. As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated.


End file.
